Chapter 5

The dream felt incredibly real, more vivid and three-dimensional than a movie.  

But in the end, Lu Yan’s rationality prevailed.  

Even before waking up, he had already realized it was just a dream.  

Because it had been ten years since he had seen his mother, Shi Ning, anywhere other than a video call.  

……  

The weather forecast was accurate—within an hour, the typhoon had made landfall.  

The howling wind and torrential rain outside made the spacious apartment feel even more serene.  

With delivery services suspended due to the severe weather, A Jiu had no choice but to browse the Little Blue Book for child-friendly recipes and attempt to cook a meal for You You using the ingredients delivered by the property management.  

A Jiu was naturally a patient young man who enjoyed taking care of others—otherwise, he wouldn’t have become a celebrity assistant right after graduating from university.  

Lu Fei sat on the living room sofa, planning to play a violent video game on the big-screen TV.  

Like many guys his age, he enjoyed decompressing with bloody, action-packed shooting games when bored.  

But just as the game started, he suddenly caught sight of the little kid chatting happily with A Jiu in the open kitchen.  

Instantly, the game controller in his hand lost its appeal…  

Damn it, out of nowhere, this little brat shows up, and now he can’t even play games in his own home.  

He had originally been looking forward to some peace and quiet, but seeing the child and A Jiu so cheerful stirred up a flood of questions in his mind.  

It was obvious that this little girl had grown up in a loving family environment.  

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so well-behaved and comfortable around strangers.  

If that was the case, why had she been left backstage at his concert, claiming to be the child of Lu Yu and Shi Ning?  

The possibility of her being lost could basically be ruled out—after more than 48 hours, no one had reported her missing.  

What kind of decent parents wouldn’t panic after losing such an adorable little girl?!  

Lu Fei’s lips twitched, and in the end, he couldn’t resist asking casually, “Hey, why haven’t your parents come to pick you up yet? Did they abandon you?”  

A Jiu nearly dropped the knife in his hand upon hearing this, wishing he could stab Fei Ge with it.  

What kind of person talks to little You You like that?!  

But before he could speak up, You You’s sweet little voice answered matter-of-factly, “No! Daddy and Mommy love You You sooo much! They just… can’t come find me right now.”  

For a three-year-old, it was already impressive enough to vaguely understand the concept of time travel in her own mind, let alone explain it to others.  

So she couldn’t articulate it clearly, but one thing was certain—her parents definitely hadn’t abandoned her. They simply didn’t know she existed.  

Lu Fei had only been probing, so he pressed further, “Oh? Then what does your mom do for work?”  

The little dumpling sat on the stool, clutching a freshly washed carrot as she played.  

Her tiny proportions made the ordinary-sized carrot look comically oversized in her hands, creating an amusing sight.  

Without hesitation, You You replied, “I already told you! You You’s mommy is a big star, a super pretty big star!”  

“…” Lu Fei asked, “How old is she?”  

This was a bit harder for You You to recall. She counted on her chubby little fingers for a while before declaring confidently, “She’s very young, just a tiny bit older than Gege!”

In a child’s eyes, their mother is forever young and beautiful, and she truly doesn’t know how old her mother is.

Lu Fei was instantly speechless.

A young and beautiful female celebrity—no matter how he thought about it, that couldn’t possibly be Shi Ning.

Mother had been in Country Y for ten years now. Even if she had been thirty back then, she would be forty by now.

Moreover, Shi Ning seemed to have been running a music academy in Country Y all these years and had long since left the entertainment industry.

Lu Fei’s brows gradually furrowed.

He became increasingly certain that the young and beautiful female celebrity the little girl was talking about was none other than Xiong Qi, the woman who had been embroiled in a scandal with his father three years ago.

He told himself it was none of his business, but he couldn’t help asking, “So… how’s the relationship between your parents?”

You You swung her little legs and tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean by ‘how’s the relationship’?”

“…Like, does your dad love your mom? Do they fight?”

You You thought for a moment before answering seriously, “They don’t fight! I’ve never seen Daddy and Mommy fight! Because Daddy always comforts her the moment Mommy gets even a little upset. Daddy is super good at comforting people, and Mommy totally falls for it every time.”

“…”

Lu Fei fell silent for a long time.

He recalled the scandal he’d seen three years ago.

Though it had been suppressed overnight back then, thinking about it now, the fact that Lu Yu had taken that woman to a charity gala probably meant he had already acknowledged her status.

A growing sense of irritation welled up inside him.

Even though his parents had been separated for years, as their son, he understood it was only natural for them to move on with their lives.

But the thought of his father being with another young woman made him deeply uncomfortable.

That Xiong Qi… wasn’t she still under thirty?

That old man wasn’t just with Xiong Qi—they’d even had a daughter together, already three years old, forming a happy little family and doting on this little girl until she was plump and fair.

Lu Fei’s emotions were complicated.

A happy family…

He seemed to have had one once.

Before he turned eight.

Before Mother left.

But those memories were too hazy now.

Lu Fei stormed back to the master bedroom with a dark expression.

Sensitive and observant, You You noticed her brother’s mood shift. She swung her legs and hopped down from the chair, trotting after him into the master bedroom.

Just as Lu Fei was about to close the door, the little ball of energy blocked the doorway.

“What do you want?”

You You grinned ingratiatingly. “A Jiu is cooking. Will you play with You You for a bit, Brother?”

Lu Fei’s face remained stony and expressionless.

But You You, thinking that since her brother had initiated conversation earlier, he probably didn’t dislike her as much now, boldly hugged his leg and cooed as she always had before. “Brother, will you watch cartoons with You You? Brother?”

Lu Fei instantly flared up. “Brother this, brother that—who’s your brother? Stop calling me that, okay?”

He slammed the door shut with a bang, leaving You You standing outside. Her enthusiastic little face slowly fell.

Hearing the noise, A Jiu wiped his hands and hurried over. “What happened? Are you okay, You You?”

You You numbly shook her little head.

She was fine. She’d just been yelled at again.

Wah.

Second Brother would never have yelled at her before.

A Jiu sighed and patted her head.

What they didn’t know was…

Lu Fei was all bark and no bite.

Deep down, he wasn’t as averse to You You as he appeared on the surface. It was just that… he couldn’t bring himself to dislike a child born from his father and another woman—it felt like a betrayal of his mother.

By the next morning, the typhoon had passed.

Sanitation workers had been clearing away broken branches and debris since dawn, restoring the city to its usual tranquility.

At ten o’clock, Lu Yan rang the doorbell of the apartment.

A Jiu came running to open the door. “Oh, it’s you, Brother Lu! Come on in.”

In her year on the job, A Jiu had only met Lu Yan twice. They weren’t exactly familiar, but she’d heard he was a top student at Tsinghua University—a real academic ace.

“A Jiu, hello. I appreciate all the trouble you’ve gone through these past few days.”

A Jiu scratched her head with a smile. “Ah, no need to be so polite. We’re all family here.”

“That child…”

Lu Yan wasn’t one for small talk and got straight to the point.

Before A Jiu could call for her, You You, who had been playing house with Dudu, came running out on her own.

When she saw Lu Yan, her tiny feet skidded to a halt. She tilted her little chin up, staring at him in wide-eyed silence for several seconds, utterly transfixed.

“B-Big Brother?”

You You called out timidly.

So, a twenty-year-old big brother was so different from a twenty-six-year-old one.

It seemed like an even bigger difference than with Second Brother.

Second Brother was just a bit thinner, but otherwise the same.

But Lu Yan’s entire demeanor had changed so much that You You almost didn’t recognize him.

Lu Yan was stunned too.

Not just stunned—he was shocked.

Fortunately, he was naturally composed, and his expression remained neutral, so no one could tell.

The twenty-year-old big brother was so thin and pale, wearing a plain white T-shirt with no embellishments and simple, ordinary jeans.

His hair was just a clean, short cut.

His face was as handsome as ever, but now it carried a hint of youthful innocence.

He didn’t seem like the cold, aloof research CEO brother anymore.

You You thought he looked more like the high school boy next door from her childhood.

Was this really her CEO brother, Lu Yan??

You You racked her little brain, trying to recall, but she realized she had never seen Big Brother dressed like this in her memories.

Didn’t Big Brother wear suits and ties every day? Those exquisite ties, crisp high-end shirts, and limited-edition cufflinks seemed permanently welded to him…

Lu Yan regained his composure before You You did. He stepped forward, crouching down to her level, and spoke gently, “Your name is You You?”

You You nodded emphatically. “Yes, I’m Lu You You, Big Brother’s little sister.”

Lu Yan took a deep breath.

How could he describe what he was feeling at this moment?

This little girl was exactly the same as the one from his dream last night.

Her nose, eyes, lips, chin—completely identical, down to the last detail.

Even the sweet little dimples were a perfect match.

Could something so surreal really exist in this world?

As someone who loved science, Lu Yan’s worldview was slightly shaken.

But he hadn’t forgotten the purpose of his visit.

Xiao Fei hated noise, and a child would undoubtedly be a huge disturbance for him—especially now that he was constantly being dragged into hot searches due to the backlash from a popular drama.

…

Lu Yan led You You to the master bedroom and knocked on the door.

Lu Fei was already awake, though he was still lazing in bed.

The scene that greeted him was his eldest brother holding the dumpling who was clutching a little shark in her arms, and he immediately guessed they were here to bid him farewell.

The pair, one big and one small, looked surprisingly harmonious.

Lu Yan said, “Fei Ge, A Jiu told me about your recent situation. Whether you continue acting or not, I’ll support you. Focus on adjusting your state first. I’ll take good care of this little one and try not to add to your burden.”

Lu Fei had just woken up and his mind was still a bit foggy.

The dumpling who had stayed in his apartment for two days… was suddenly leaving?

Weren’t they refusing to leave no matter how much he tried to shoo them away yesterday? She even cried saying she didn’t want to go with Lu Yan but wanted to stay with him.

How come the moment big brother arrived, she obediently followed him, her sweet little round face looking quite happy?

Lu Fei didn’t even notice the inexplicable sour feeling bubbling inside him.

He just reached out to tug at her shark pillow, scoffing, “It’s filthy, why haven’t you thrown it away? It looks pitch black, who knows how many germs are on it. Don’t bring this junk to big brother’s place.”

You You’s little face instantly scrunched up, her voice trembling with tears, “Can’t throw it away! Dudu is You You’s best friend! Dudu isn’t dirty, no germs! She just got dirty when You You dropped her…”

On the day she first crossed over, she had been running around alone clutching Dudu, struggling to find her way from the subway station to the concert venue, bumping into things along the way—that’s how Dudu got dirty.

A Jiu hastily snatched the pillow back for You You, exclaiming, “Ah, Fei Ge, what are you doing! They’re about to leave, why bully the little one? If it’s dirty, just wash it!”

You You hugged Dudu tightly, her little pearls of tears nearly falling.

“Dudu was given to You You by Daddy… You You can’t be apart from Dudu…”

After Daddy entered the ICU, he never came out. She didn’t even know if she’d ever see Daddy again…

She had been so scared that she clung to Dudu while searching for Daddy.

Lu Fei scoffed inwardly.

How laughable. He had been Lu Yu’s son for a full eighteen years, and not only had he never received a pillow—Lu Yu hadn’t even given him a yo-yo.

In the end, You You was led away by the tall, young big brother, still clutching her beloved Dudu.

Lu Yan had already confirmed with their father—he was currently in the middle of a crucial merger case abroad, where every second counted, and wouldn’t be able to return for at least three more months.

He couldn’t possibly take a little girl to live in his Tsinghua University dorm, so he brought her directly to the small apartment he rented.

Though he called it a small apartment, it was actually the cheapest rental in the urban village near the university district.

Prices in the capital had been skyrocketing in recent years—decent places cost at least seven or eight thousand. As he was in the startup phase, all his savings were tied up in his company.

He had a dorm to live in; the small rental was just for those all-nighters when he needed absolute quiet to focus on product development. He wasn’t chasing any particular living standard, so he rented whatever was nearby.

Twenty-year-old Lu Yan was in his research-obsessed phase, so busy he didn’t even have time to write his graduation thesis.

Lu Yu also had high expectations for his eldest son. His parenting philosophy held that a little hardship in youth was good for character-building, so he rarely offered financial support.

Lu Yan was completely unaware of just how visually shocking his current penniless-student state was to You You.

Standing in the urban village’s less-than-fifty-square-meter room, the dumpling was utterly stunned.

So… so this was it.

Is a twenty-year-old big brother really this poor?